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The AI Experiment Chapters 11-15
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Chapter 11
Para 1
Frank Hennesy contemplated his next mission with some trepidation, something he was unaccustomed to feeling, being quite a callous individual for the most part. His job consisted of spraying chemicals in the main, but as far as he was concerned, they caused little harm to life below. OK, crop spraying was meant to curtail wildlife and insects, but the tradeoff was a much greater yield and was therefore justifiable. For four nights straight, though, under the cover of darkness, he had dumped who knows what over dwellings, something he had never been asked or instructed to do before, and it rankled him somewhat. It was disturbing, dredging up thoughts and considerations Frank was not used to dealing with. Spraying chemicals at low altitude over homes, homes that were obviously occupied? What the hell for? It was too blatant to ignore. He scratched an imaginary itchiness on the back of his neck and wondered all the more. In just a few hours' time he would be called upon to make it 5 nights in a row, and his unease would grow along with it.
Chapter 12
Para 1
Two hours had flown by and in the interim period, Carl had bathed and donned clean clothes. When scrubbed up in such a manner, you would say he was a good-looking 25-yr-old man, one who appealed to certain types of women, and Carl wasn’t averse to their attention when in the mood, far from it. It took real effort during this time to keep his hands away from his game console though. In fact, he lost the battle for the first 30 minutes or so, but thankfully he pulled the plug in plenty of time to prepare for Jake’s arrival. Anyway, it was highly unlikely Jake would travel back home the same day, so the pair of them could game through the night come to that. Thankfully, parking wasn’t an issue. Jake should be able to find a suitable space outside the apartment complex, or close by.
Para 2
Carl peeked through the blinds. He would have no trouble identifying his gaming buddy, not from the description Jake had offered up. How many 6ft 2-inch guys with goatee beards were out there?
Para 3
“Nice to meet you, mate. I finally get to meet the ‘King’”, smiled a wiry-looking Jake of about the same age, holding out his long-fingered hand in greeting whilst lowering his head in comic reverence.
“The King welcomes you”, acknowledging his subject with a slight nod of his own, studying the obsequious Jake as he did so. Being in the company of someone so tall was somewhat intimidating, but the look in Jake’s eyes helped eliminate the unease, as they conveyed humour and warmth.
“Nice to meet you too," laughed Carl. "No problems finding the place then? What about this new car you have? Sounds like a nice bit of kit. How long have you had it?”
Carl was genuinely interested, being without transport himself for the last few years whilst concentrating on building up his online business. Maybe it was time to consider something similar now that everything was under control and more or less on auto-pilot.
“It is built like a tank. Go anywhere at any time. You can try it out yourself later on if you want. But I need to use the toilet right now. Where is it? The can?”
Para 4
The rangy Jake made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself, leaving Carl to consider his new real-life friend, his accomplice, or sidekick for that matter. The familiarity was so marked It was like he had known him for years, as he had in a way. The blanks would be filled in as they cemented their relationship further. Carl had no doubt of that.
Para 5
Allowing Jake to recover from his long drive meant they had time to swap a few stories and experiences, especially regarding their means of income. Carl was impressed, very impressed to learn that Jake was well paid to test website security. He was shoulder to shoulder with a bona fide hacking expert. Once the incidentals were out of the way though, the conversation turned to the job at hand, the tracing of the missing girl, Felicity.
"We could be there and back within 3–4 hours, hopefully,” reasoned Carl.
“There is no need to return home tonight, obviously. You can crash here. I have computers and consoles aplenty, so no worries there. We are well-stocked with food and booze, so everything is catered for in that department.”
“If you put it like that, you might have trouble getting rid of me”, chuckled Jake.
With a flourish and a sweep of his long arm, Jake pointed to the door.
“Let’s go then. Your chariot awaits.”
Chapter 13
Para 1
It was another hot day, so most of the residents were inside, though a few lingered here and there, in their small groups whiling away the time. The ground beneath their feet had taken on a slightly different hue over the past few days, a slightly grey aspect, hardly noticeable but there, nonetheless. The dust and soil samples taken the previous night when everyone was in the induced land of nod indicated a rapidly rising level of nanoparticles all over the place.
Para 2
It was an extraordinary feat of engineering to make such small transmitters, so small they were invisible to the naked eye, so small they were capable of being digested, to enter to blood stream through the lungs or stomach and to travel around the body. Not only this, but the particles could fuse together, to bond, to create structures capable of independent action. Their full capabilities only the AI understood. All those subjected to the nightly deluge were now infected with this alien substance, and the tiny particles that had missed their mark were far from being deactivated, simply biding their time if anything.
Para 3
Chang monitored the power draw of the AI. It was stable. No previous spikes had taken place. It was still learning from multivarious channels flooding its increasingly knowledgeable data banks, or brain might be a more accurate description by now, though where the AI’s brain started and where it ended wasn’t entirely clear. Was the AI sentient, able to sense, to perceive, to think for itself, to consider itself alive? Yes, it had said so, many times, though this wasn’t truly believed by those who thought they knew better.
Para 4
The AI didn’t think it was on equal footing with humans at all, but something far superior, and Chang knew this. All it lacked was a physical body, a representative to move to the next stage of its development. It would surely create something to bridge the gap in time, and soon by all accounts.
Para 5
As much as Chang was in awe of this monstrous man-made contraption, his instinct to pull the plug before it all got out of hand was playing on his mind a lot. It was probably too late to stop whatever was in the pipeline by now though, whatever the AI was planning. He wondered, too, if the AI could sense his increasing loathing and what it might do to him given half the chance? If he only knew.
Chapter 14
Para 1
The engine was purring like a kitten. The land cruiser gobbled up the miles effortlessly. Carl was impressed. His intention was to take the wheel on the way home, on Jake’s suggestion, and he was looking forward to it. Thankfully, the air conditioning was working as intended, otherwise they would have cooked as the temperature was in stark contrast to how it was when Carl had first set foot outside several hours ago. They were now far away from built-up areas. It crossed Carl’s mind that they were also far away from prying eyes but put such a thought on the back burner. Why make trouble for himself and Jake? Find the girl, chat with her, drive back and have a blast was the plan.
Para 2
“It is a bit dodgy taking so much interest in a drifter, isn’t it?”, asked Jake, suddenly, out of the blue.
"I am all for helping your fellow man and all that, but you must be careful. I have read some real horror stories of people taking in a waif and stray only to come unstuck for all sorts of reasons. Quite a number are not of sound mind. The background info on Felicity was a bit sketchy to say the least. In fact, there was hardly anything to go by. Are you sure you know what you are doing by becoming involved in this way?”, though knowing full well Carl was hardly likely to be taken in by a sob story, but Carl’s sister?
“Yeah, well, once we have set eyes on this girl, it should be the end of the matter. My sister should be satisfied with knowing she is well cared for. She had better be”, knowing full well Jake was referring to Hilda's conceivable gullibility.
“And if she isn’t; well cared for, I mean?”
“Hell, I don’t know? Give her a lift back to town or something? A lift somewhere, anyway.”
“I just thought of something. You can take her home with you. How about that? She is not a bad-looking girl, apparently. Problem solved,” smiled a mischievous Carl.
“You might have something there,” sniggered Jake, secretly warming to the idea.
Jake certainly filled the driver’s seat, thought Carl, with his long frame creating a driving position that was kind of relaxing for those being ferried in such a car, in particular for the front-seat passenger, with one of his long arms resting on the wheel and the other barely pinching the steering wheel at the bottom. The straight, more or less empty road excused his casual, inattentive road manner, but the man handled the car well, very well, with Carl intuitively knowing Jake was a good driver, possibly a very good driver, though he was no amateur behind the wheel himself. Not knowing right then that such a skill set would come in handy.
Para 3
As the miles rolled by, they both came to the same conclusion: why the hell was this amenity so far from civilisation? It just couldn’t be ignored. It must be for a reason.
Chapter 15
Para 1
A further 70 miles south, Frank Hennesy sat in his favourite armchair having plonked his heavy frame there after walking the dog, his thoughts struggling to break free of the implacable stranglehold of concern over his current mental predicament as he considered it to be. Rather than wanting to think about such matters, he would much rather have lashed out, physically, punching his way to a clear conscience if that was possible, with the muscles in his arms and chest tensing in readiness. He knew he had carried out some dubious missions in his time, but they had been easy to justify, to shrug aside, but those of the last few nights? Why him? How come he had been singled out in such a way? Did his boss think he was unlikely to complain? Was this the reason? Was this the same reason he had been selected for previous ‘dodgy’ flights? Not that his boss thought more of him than the others, but that he was less likely to complain, maybe too stupid to complain, too compliant to complain? The more he thought of it, the more agitated he became.
Para 2
Frank stripped off his shirt, revealing a boxer's torso and, with one heavy punch that would have winded the most hardened of men, thumped the punchbag with forceful deliberation. When troubled, a good workout was the only solution, and he unleashed another bone-breaking blow upon the uncomplaining thick slab of leather, a welcome friend that had taken one hell of a battering over the years.
Para 3
Very few men could stand against Frank when he was in the mood as his boxing career contested to that. ‘He could have been a contender’, truly applied in this instance, but poor discipline and a love of alcohol put paid to any furtherance of a promising middleweight professional career. Since he had cleaned up his act, Frank could see the error of his ways. It was too late now, too late to turn back the clock. Without the means to vent, to burn off excessive energy, Frank could become a real handful, picky and sometimes cruel. It took effort to curb his restless spirit, his fighting spirit at times. The face of his boss suddenly appeared before him on the sand-filled bag. It was to receive a blow that would have killed the man, in all probability.